Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 27, 2023

Well, we did see the painting. Now we can’t unsee it! And without Bernice lurid explanation we would never understand (?) it. But seriously $40 barely covers the cost of the canvas, frame and oils. Also if he wants to be taken seriously he needs to be asking in the $400 range. An artist friend discovered that. The more serious the price the better his art sold.

That’s $40 too much.

Forty bucks is forty bucks…

See, Bern was longing for the long…..

Okay, who exactly are you trying to convince here, Bern? Luann or yourself?

On another note . . . $40? Really? I sold a painting for $35 in 2001 . . . in today’s dollars, that’s a few cents shy of $60; Nil could easily ask for nearly $70.

LMAOF here! “How much?” “40?” BWAAAAhhahahaha!

It would have benefited from a liberal application of additional masking tape!

ars gratia artis!

:o/

And all is well, for 40 smalls…

I had a friend who had a beautiful oil painting hanging on her living room wall. I asked her who had done it, and she told me it was Richard S______. Richard and I had mutual friends, so I asked him if he had any more like that. He said he had a few from that period, and that they were in his mother’s garage.

I met him there, and there was nothing I like as much as the one on my friend’s wall, but I bought one I wort of liked. It was a painting of several husky, faceless women, exercising in shorts and tee shirts. The women were all in red, and the background was all in blue. I took it home and hung it over my bed.

A few years later, I fell in love and got married. My wife hated the painting, so I took it down and put it in the basement. A few years after that, the Youth at my church were having a rummage sale, and I donated the painting. Nobody liked it, so it ended up in the “Make an offer” category at the end. One of the Youth bought it for 50¢.

He took it home and hung it over his bed. Then he got married, and his wife hated it, so he gave it away to a friend.

About twenty years later, I went into an antique shop and discovered that the proprietor was the above mentioned artist. We caught up with each other. Then, he asked me if I still had the painting, and I told him I had donated it to my church and it had been sold to raise money for the Youth. I didn’t tell him how much it sold for.

He asked if I could locate it. “Another painting in that series just sold for $14,000,” he said.

So, I asked the guy who had bought the painting, and he asked his friend to whom he had given it. The friend couldn’t remember what he had done with it, even with the lure of a possible $14,000 sale.

I guess the moral of this story is, if you have original art, hang on to it. I wish I had.

Nil are you trying not to make a profit.

I sort of get it. “Eye masking” (I’m asking)

I think the painting is cute.

Could someone define that phrase B is using? And I agree with you, Luann. Who WOULD buy that?!

I would be lifting the tape myself, at least on the lower right side.

Good concept, poor execution.

Warhol’s can of soup recently fetched almost 12 millions bucks so who knows with Nil’s masterpiece!

I notice it’s a fairly small piece of tape that is ableto conceal David’s…buffness.

Wait! I am at a loss?

Wow! Professional Artist

Nil’s not even covering the cost of supplies

40 bucks?!!?

Nil you really NEED to talk to other artists who charge a heck of a lot MORE for THIER work.

Start with that “Suzy’s Zoo” lady from yesterday who had a crowd of “take my money” types around HER booth.

Or better still, talk to Greg.

And be sure to politely ask him about your other eye. ;-)

[DUCKS]

Okay. there’s a lot wrong here. When they were posing, Bernice was embarrassed by Jack’s nudity, but in the picture, she was peaking at him and smiling. And, wasn’t he standing on her left? I supposed Greg added the tape to keep the picture p.g. and for comic effect, but the picture was good art without the tape being added. Yesterday Nil was looking down because no one was looking at his art and today he offers an original piece of art for a measly $40? Defeatism? Low self-esteem?

People seem to be missing the point. He painted the 2 people quite well. He clearly can depict images in a recognizable way, and the tape is part of the statement.

A syllogism is a three-part logical argument, based on deductive reasoning, in which two premises are combined to arrive at a conclusion. So long as the premises of the syllogism are true and the syllogism is correctly structured, the conclusion will be true. An example of a syllogism is “All mammals are animals. All elephants are mammals. Therefore, all elephants are animals.” In a syllogism, the more general premise is called the major premise (“All mammals are animals”). The more specific premise is called the minor premise (“All elephants are mammals”). The conclusion joins the logic of the two premises (“Therefore, all elephants are animals”).

Sardonic: disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking

Luann is asking “Who’d buy this?” in front of Nil?Once again G & K are mean to Luann.

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2023/03/25?ct=v&cti=2024328

The hypothesis is that Mona is smiling because she was looking at the David. It is sardonic because it is poking fun at the 2 artists,

Bernice seems to have an eye for detail. :D

I’m slightly confused about this “piece”

That tape could be coverin up something that’s 2 feet long

That’s simplistic.

The faculty should have helped the students determine a price. I never paid less than $100 for community college student art. CC students usually need the cash and much of the artwork is actually quite good.

You take the tape off when you get home. Tape required for public display.

So if Nil always planned to have masking tape covering David’s genitals.. why have Jack pose fully nude??

With todays inflation, who would sell an original painting for $40? At the very least, he should have charged $100.

.

Well, I’m thinking we’re on to a new arc on Monday. And not a moment too soon…

Could that tape be removed without damaging the picture??

BTW, Luann—“Mona” meant “Lady” in Da Vinci’s time. The woman’s first name was “Lisa”.

HOORAY! Finally the painting! It’s definitely Nil’s work and the piece of masking tape allows to publish the strip without problems, great idea! Bernice is in love of Nil’s art, but seing how he’s selling it at such a low price (seriously, Nil should be asking at least for $200) will disappoint her and maybe ruin her trust in him. But we already knew that Nil doesn’t care what happens to his art works. The painting is figurative and the Dadaist and surrealist influence is strong. It shows that Nil has the skill and just needs to find someone able to sell his work at a right price. I like how Luann and Jack are both unable to understanding it and how they said that to Nil without problems. But I always love to see them together.

I think that selling artwork (painting or sculpture) is like being a garage band. Start playing small-paying gigs, then when you’re better-known, ask for higher pay.

$40? Say $400. Means the same to art fools.. I mean aficionados.

This must be the Florida version

He’s pointing at Luann.

So this ends this wretched thread. Maybe next week we can get back The Amorous Adventures of Ann❤️Eiffel. The Count certainly hopes so and The Count knows you do, too. Maybe our Beloved Ann❤️Eiffel can take down that lying poser pity pot seducer, Pedro, for every shekel in his trust fund. The Count would absolutely ❤️ that, boy howdy. We all ❤️ Ann❤️Eiffel. TTFN, Ann❤️Eiffel and yrs trly, The Count, fans. Until tomorrow… same time, same station… Count OUT!

If Nil thinks it’s worth $40, fine. Heaven knows what Evans would charge. $20?

Great to see that Nil made a sale.

I was thinking a bigger piece of tape would be needed.

I think Bernice is going to start a bidding war.

Berns hand should be at where the bottom of the painted paint strip ends.

When Nil dies, it will be worth 80.

Notice how “strategically” that line crosses Jack’s body. Was Nil thinking of the “Anti-Woke” crowd when he did that?

I feel kind of good for Nil here. He made a sale, probably his first ever. He had to take the first step sometime or other. Like the old adage goes “The journey of a thousand miles begins with leading the horse to water to gather the moss from the stone that wouldn’t roll” … or something like that. Anyway, good going, Nil. :-)

How much does the tape cost?

You have to cover your direct expenses…..

Make art. You have more talent than you think you do. Think of all the empty walls that need covering

It looks like the guy is asking “how much?” he is asking for the girls.

Where’s Shannon Daytona?

Query. Is Bernice about to get mad at Nils over the selling price? It would be completely in character for her to take it as a personal offense while masking it as some form of righteous outrage over selling himself short/not knowing his worth/etc etc.

In the last panel Nil is asking if $40 is okay. There is a ? at the end. That won’t even cover his supplies.

Why is the masking tape covering one eye of Mona Lisa? We can see that she is looking at David, so there is no reason to cover her eye.

I don’t have to speak, she defends me, a drunkards dream if I ever did see one!

I’ll admit that I’m not a great negotiator, but I know that you start high, and meet somewhere in the middle. You can always negotiate down, but you can’t negotiate up. But then again, it’s only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Notice what Bernice’s “one eye” is trained on!

As a follow up painting Nil should do one of Bernice a la raw with Jack ooogling her.

Notice how Bernice’s one covered eye echoes Nil’s covered eye? There’s an element of self-portraiture here, whether conscious or unconscious.

There was a theory a while back that the Mona Lisa might have been Leonardo’s portrait of his own feminine nature/feminine side. Nil seems comfortable enough with his own sexuality and gender identity so I’m not going to recommend therapy, but there’s more going on here than appears at first glance.

I like the painting! Especially Bern’s expression and her eye. I don’t get why the crew doesn’t get it. Mona’s smiling because of what she sees. The tape doesn’t make a difference, we can fill in the blank here. And I agree with above poster who said the tape’s probably for public display—take it off at home for the X-rated version. Or would that be the art-rated version? :-)

Haha! The painting is at last revealed and guess what? Only Berniece gets it—-as usual. Always expect something avant- garde from Nil because that’s what you’ll always get!

Wasn’t the Mona Lisa supposed to be looking at David

Lol! Come on, Nil. You supposed to start with the big number. That way, you can work your way to the middle if the potential buyer wants to haggle.

Sunday: Shannon plays with tape, Puddles gets mummified!

Apparently not that priceless.

If the man in the yellow shirt offers you any thing close to $40 dollars – Take it !!

The masking-tape self-censorship is welcome. It is a recognition of the shame that should come to exposing a young woman to a naked man as a total surprise for “art”. It is the shame of exploiting people for cheap thrills and titillation.

I would buy a painting of Jack as David. No tape, though!

And with the encouragement and money, Nil continued to hone his craft until becoming one of the most famous artists of all time and this particular painting received a three hundred million dollar offer at auction some twenty years later…. which offer was refused by the current owner as too low.

Nil got better inspiration from his “Muse” when they were dancing on the DeGroot’s couch last year.

I rarely feel sorry for Nil, but $40 for all that work? Ask for more, the worst he can do is say no and send you home empty-handed, which you were likely preparing for anyway.

I imagine Nil would prefer to think of it as painter’s tape. ;-)

Where is the art dealer going to post Nil’s piece?

Yesterday, there was a nod to Suzy Spafford. Today, we have a fellow buying Nil’s painting. Could he be a nod to someone Greg and Karen know?

Nil, by answering with a question says you are not sure your art is worth the money. Be confident! Tell him yes, $40, or quote for a higher price! Frankly, I’d not buy it. It’s as if the artist says tsk to Mona Lisa for peeking at David’s privates and covering it up. As if it was painted by a parent or a clergyman.

He wants the sale.

Has Greg taken off for vacation?

Ol’ Jack isn’t too well-endowed, considering how little of that particular area the masking tape is covering.

Not masking. “Asking,” right Nil?

Whatever Nil says is aces with Bernice? So the “TAPE” is actually an arrow pointing from Bernice’s (Mona’s) eye to Jack’s (David’s) unencumbered crotch. Not very “hypothetical!” And where is the Starr of all this; the resurrected person that was the focus of the arc and so many comments?

Very disappointing conclusion.

The best "Gotcha’ " in the comics overall in quite a while.

Did Bernice get it? Or is Nils being nice?

I wouldn’t buy it, but I think that Nils did a pretty good job on it.

Was the conveniently strategic placement of masking tape Nil’s own original idea, or was it something Bernie thought up and demanded?

In any case, Nil is selling himself short at only $40 asking price; any fairly large painting should be worth something in three figures at the least.

Our garrulous ladies show their cluelessness about art yet again….

Bernice is pontificating by showing off her vocabulary. No one is impressed.

After you pay the $40, does the painting fall into a shredder?

Art is only worth what people will pay for it.

Um, you probably paid more than that for the materials, Nil….

That tape is “The Walls Of Jericho”.

If the tape wasn’t there they’d be having sex.